PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Livia C. Liporagi Lopes
AU  - Preethi Korangath
AU  - Samuel R. Dos Santos Junior
AU  - Kathleen L. Gabrielson
AU  - Robert Ivkov
AU  - Arturo Casadevall
TI  - Bionized nanoferrite particles alter the course of experimental <em>Cryptococcus neoformans</em> pneumonia
AID  - 10.1101/2021.12.21.473767
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2021.12.21.473767
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/12/24/2021.12.21.473767.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/12/24/2021.12.21.473767.full
AB  - Cryptococcosis is a devastating fungal disease associated with high morbidity and mortality even when treated with antifungal drugs. Bionized nanoferrite (BNF) nanoparticles are powerful immunomodulators, but their efficacy for infectious diseases has not been investigated. Administration of BNF nanoparticles to mice with experimental cryptococcal pneumonia altered the outcome of infection in a dose response manner as measured by colony forming units and survival. The protective effects were higher at lower doses, with reductions in IL-2, IL-4 and TNF-α, consistent with immune modulation whereby reductions in inflammation translate into reduced host damage, clearance of infection and longer survival.